I asked thus question before about the words to Ol' Riley. It was one of my favourite songs for Stuart to sing to me. As he got dementia he forgot more and more words, and then he died so I have had no way to ask about the words.

Not long ago I found a cassette tape of his singing he made for me in about 1980, and ol' Riley was on there. The only versions I have found on the net are not the one he sang.

The trouble is that it is a fast song, and very difficult to transcribe. Below are the words that we have managed to extract from the tape. Does anyone have any iideas how we can extract them more easily than repeatedly playing the tape. As it is so old, I am frightened of damaging it by repeatedly stopping and starting it. My daughter even tried putting it through speech to text software - unsuccessfully!



Ol’ Riley

Ol’ Riley done gone like a turkey through the straw
When he ran away
Ol Riley done gone like a turkey through the straw
On a hot summers day
Ch.
Ol’ Riley, Ol’ Riley
Ol’ Riley was a hard working man.

He ran through the grass and hounds couldn’t catch him,
On a long summers day
And he ran so fast they couldn’t catch him when he ran away.
Ch.
Ol Riley had a pair of shoes of his own,
They had heels in front and heels behind,
No one know which way Riley’s gwine
When he ran away.
Ch.

The next verse has something like 'he went to the country woman;s house, and she offered him some beer. Riley asked for water cos' he was being chased.

Apart from this one song, Stuart Cantle: A life in song will be published in an i book this week. I have enjoyed writing it, although at times it made me sad, But it will be a lasting link to my lovely husband.